What We Want To See In A Power Rangers Revival

[00:00:03] This is Rangercast, Episode 38, What We Want To See In A Power Rangers Revival, recorded on Wednesday, May 27th, 2026. Also in this episode, Hasbro plans a new way to watch Power Rangers Classics, Legends of the White Dragon, Merges from the Vault, and we remember a Tokusatsu Legend.

[00:01:24] Alright, this is Rangercast. Hey everybody, it's been a long time. I got Josh with me. Howdy everybody. And Greg. Hey, haven't scared me off yet. Yeah, it's been a really long while, like more than six months since we recorded. That wasn't our intention, but your intrepid host and producer has been in grad school.

[00:01:51] I'm studying for a Master's in Communication Management at Thompson University, and I had a couple really intense classes that kept me from having time at the right time to do a lot of work. And we're going to do a show. So we, we're not going to try to cover all the news we missed, but we are going to cover the important part. First off, what's up with you guys? Oh, you know, since last time we recorded what you said, what, in November?

[00:02:21] Yeah. Just hanging in there, you know. So, not going to school and getting a Master's. I'll put it that way. Ah, so you and I have that in common. Ha ha! Exactly. I mean, thankfully, you know, it's not like we missed an episode of the show or anything. So, except for all those Cosmic Fury recaps we never ever got to. Oh, well.

[00:02:49] I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate to start the news block on such a downer, but unfortunately it is the biggest news story that happened during our break. Kenji Ova died on May 6th at the age of 72. He hadn't made public appearances in several years since he had suffered some health issues.

[00:03:13] He was best known to fans, to Toksatsu fans I should say, as Gavan who went by the alias Lettu Ichijoji. With his combat suit, he came from Planet Bird to defend Earth from Dawn Horror and Makku in the series Space Sheriff Gavan back in the 80s. He got his start as a stuntman, including as a suit actor in Gorenjara and Jacka, and quickly became a cast member playing both Battle Kenya and Denji Blue in Denjumen.

[00:03:39] He twice co-starred in the Casino Gundan series, that's translated as Shadow Warriors, opposite Sonny Chiba, and successive barriers of the name Hattori Hanzo. Quentin Tarantino paired them up once again in Kill Bill where he played the assistant to, again, Sonny Chiba's Hanzo, who had retired to a life as an unassuming sushi chef in Okinawa. But it's the role of Gavan, he reprised time after time, most notably in a team-up film with Gokai-Jer in 2011.

[00:04:08] And that was a really huge loss. How familiar are you guys with Kenji Ova's work? Well enough, I'm not someone that follows a lot of celebrities or anything like that, but I didn't know he was in Battle Kenya and played Denji Blue, but it's... Back then, I guess there was a lot of cross-pollination where the same guys were doing multiple roles in multiple series.

[00:04:36] That's right, like Hiroshi Fujioka was all over the place. And yeah, there were a lot of, like... You know, actually, Denji Mon and Battle Fever were back-to-back, if I recall correctly. I believe so. Yes, Denji Mon was in 1980 to 81, which is right after Battle Fever J. See, this is me Googling. Just make sure I'm not misremembering, you know, late at night, because it is kind of late when we're recording this.

[00:05:05] But he was a legend, and, you know, it's impossible to tell the story of Tokusatsu without him. You know, not only was he a stuntman, he founded an action stunt troupe called Luck Jet, with Jet being an acronym for Jaunty Eventful Troop. But he was hospitalized in 2018 after a fainting spell, and had been absent from the public eye for the last eight years.

[00:05:34] Besides Sentai and Gavan, his filmography also includes appearances as Kamen Rider ZO, Superhero Taisen Z. He was the suit actor in both Android Kikaider and Kikaider Zero One. He was in Message from Space, Galactic Wars.

[00:05:57] And he reprised his role as Gavan in a number of different shows and specials, and also made all kinds of cameos in series like Gekirinja or Harakenja, where he was one of Shurikenja's disguises. He was in Black RX, Jiraiya, Matalda, he was everywhere. And yeah, just absolute, you know, icon.

[00:06:26] We also lost the screenwriter of Mighty Morphin Pounders, the movie, Arnie Olsen, died in April at the age of 64. His credits also included Cop and a Half and All Dogs Go to Heaven 2. He died from complications related to cancer up in Vancouver, according to his wife. He moved to Los Angeles at 21 to pursue screenwriting.

[00:06:51] He graduated from the American Film Institute and later co-wrote the action film Red Scorpion with Dolph Lundgren. This is from Deadline, excuse me. His other credits included the TV movie Escape from Atlantis and the 2007 film Hybrid, which is a horror film starring Cory Monteith. This was before Glee. In 2000, he wrote and directed a Canadian feature called Here's to Life starring Eric McCormick from Will & Grace.

[00:07:21] And the film was nominated for eight Genie Awards up in Canada. Most recently, he wrote the movie Distorted starring John Cusack and Christina Ritchie. He also taught screenwriting at two universities up in BC and served as a storyteller on a bunch of films he leaves behind his wife and two children.

[00:07:43] That was a real shock because I guess none of us had really thought about his work since the movie, which notably had a very troubled production, but that wasn't his fault. Now, on to other stuff. Hasbro has reached a deal with a company that does digital multicast networks.

[00:08:03] That's, you know, if your TV station has like a digital sub channel that's like totally different, like all old TV or cartoons or something, this is one of those things. They've reached an agreement with Hasbro that will see a new multicast channel that will air shows in Hasbro Entertainment's library, like G.I. Joe.

[00:08:26] And they specifically say in the press release, like Power Rangers, thanks to an agreement finalized in April. Hasbro Entertainment has given the green light to Get After It Media. Yes, Kamen Rider fans, that acronym is G.I.N. To launch Hasbro Legends as a multicast channel. Their goal is to reach an upward of 70 million homes across the U.S. at their launch. It will also be on streaming platforms, etc.

[00:08:55] The co-president and COO of Get After It Media, Otto Padron, said in the statement, This is what happens when my inner kid slash fan takes over, and I love it. We're beyond honored and thrilled to team up with Hasbro. I grew up with G.I. Joe and Power Rangers, and now we get to bring these legendary brands to broadcast television at scale. So there have been no further announcements yet.

[00:09:19] Gain, I'm just not going to even spell it out, will manage distribution and monetization across both over the air and free ad-supported streaming television environments. Like smart TV sort of stuff, you know, creating both a unified ecosystem designed to maximize reach engagement and advertiser access within a single operating framework. Well, that's kind of cool to have going on.

[00:09:43] At the same time though, when was the last time they released a new Transformers show? I don't remember anything recently. Well, I don't know. I mean, we don't know exactly like what they could and couldn't like in terms of what like isn't already spoken for the area on Cartoon Network or Netflix or whatever.

[00:10:09] But this is, it's basically there, you know, we have Toku Nation home essentially. That's what they're saying. And that's what they're doing just, you know, it's going to work a lot like Toku Nation is where it's just, you know, set and forget it. They might have a schedule, but they're not going to have any original programming. I mean, it's just going to be random episodes. It would work a little like the Power Rangers YouTube channel will randomly stream like random episodes that nobody was asking them for.

[00:10:39] Which Pluto TV and Sling TV. Yeah. The dedicated channels that have Power Rangers running. And most of the time right now, I mean, as I mean, even right now, as I am watching on Sling, it's on season three of Mighty Morphin for it. They usually rotate through that and then every so often they'll go into the other seasons. But I mean, even if it is ad supported, more content out there is more content. So.

[00:11:10] Yeah. Getting that ad revenue. Yeah. Yeah. That's the most important thing that, you know, without that, there'd be no reason for them to keep not making power and just don't wait. Well, I mean, it keeps it at least in the back burner of the public consciousness, I think. I mean, that's the best thing I could think of. Yeah. They're more into some passive income. Yeah.

[00:11:36] I mean, as with it also, you also have like stuff with the on demand and stuff as well for whatever other channels that it might be. It might be on as well. So at least it's expanding its reach at minimum of maybe people who didn't see it before. It's now accessible, I guess. Question mark. Yeah. I think my reaction to a lot of their strategy in regards to power just basically been shrug emoji.

[00:12:06] Yeah. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? Yeah. It turns into another hub. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Gak. The return of Gak. Gak. Gak was the stuff, man. It was. Oh, OK. So some of you might have Doug Sloan's book, which is what was the title again? I had just had the window open his first book.

[00:12:34] It literally have it right here. Morphers, monsters and mayhem. I just I just wasn't sure which order those words were in. There we go. His second book, Dirt Bikes, Dinos and Dr. Oliver, his working title until he comes with something better is going to be out by year's end. He says in an update to his Kickstarter recently, we will, of course, be doing another Kickstarter campaign for the second book.

[00:12:58] And I wanted to make sure that you were all aware that you all were aware, I should say, that we would have a special limited reward reserved for those of you who supported the first campaign as a thank you for being so amazing. And along with that, the usual stuff, but it should be fun. So look out for it. He asked people to review his first book on Kickstarter on Amazon, I should say. But the book is available not just on Amazon, but other major chains like Barnes and Noble and Target. And it's also on Audible.

[00:13:28] And also in other side project news, Legend of the White Dragon, which definitely does for real exist, is hitting theaters on possibly only on August 28th through WellGo USA, which is the same distributor that puts out a lot of low budget kung fu movies, high budget kung fu movies. They distributed the Ip Man series in America.

[00:13:55] But August 28th is also the Friday of Power Morphicon. So it might work out for those people at Power Morphicon that programming will wrap up and they can go find a movie theater or whatever. I think there's one around there. I think there's one around there, but best of luck to y'all. I'm not sure if my schedule is going to be clear, but I presume it'll be made available on demand in some form after.

[00:14:24] For those who have been under rock, that movie features the final performance of Jason David Frank, who's been dead a couple years now. It also stars Mark Dacascos, Jenna Frank, Jason Fawn, Ciara Hanna, Serena Vincent, and Michael Madsen, who's also recently passed.

[00:14:52] It's going to be a limited release. That's really all we know. And as always, if you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or text START to 741-741 in the United States. Speaking of Power Morphicon, the usual suspects have been announced as guests.

[00:15:20] You know, basically most of the people you would expect at these things. Along with the stunt MMPR Red Ranger suit actor, Scott Leva. I don't know if I'm pronouncing that right. Adelaide Kane from RPM, who I guess isn't busy. Okay. Takeru Shibaki, who was gal blue, who will be there alongside Philippe Jean-Marie. I mean, not alongside, but I know what I'm saying. He's there too. Kenji Ebisawa, who was going black, will get to meet Dan Ewing.

[00:15:51] Ryote Ozawa, who was Gokai Red. Kazuki Shimizu, who was Gokai Blue. Yui Kawike, who was Gokai Pink, will be at PMC. As will Masaru Shishiro, who is over Red. Tamao Sato, O Pink. Heiko Chiba from Juringer. Shiro Izumi, of course, also from Juringer. Shinji Kasahara, who was Time Fire and Time Ranger. We'll get to meet Dan Southworth, who will also be there.

[00:16:18] Kane Kosugi, who does not do these at all. He will be a guest at Power Morphicon. Of course, he was Jiraiya, Ninja Black in Ninja Sentai Kaku Ninja. And he also has had a really long career in both American and Asian films. He was in the Dead or Alive movie. He was in Godzilla Final Wars.

[00:16:46] He's basically been in all sorts of stuff. And also the Sakamoto's there will be there. Koichi, as well as Motoko, his wife, who... She was a longtime stunt actress on the show. And Koichi needs no introduction. He's a really nice guy, by the way. I met him. You can go and revisit our interview with him from Anime NJ from a couple years ago. And I'm sure he'll have a lot of stories to share.

[00:17:13] He was at the first Power Morphicon way, way, way, way back. And that was a really fun panel that he had with a bunch of his crew. Because 2007 was not that far removed from when the show had left. So a lot of the LA crew was still kind of hanging out. And that was a really fun time. Tsuyoshi Nonaka, who's missed the last couple of these, he used to work at Plex as a designer. He designed the original Megazord.

[00:17:42] He did some designs for like Samurai and all that. He will be back. What do you guys think about the guest list? It's a shame I won't be able to go. Same. I am also... I guess I'm indifferent on it because I am not going either. But I also don't really follow too much of the Super Sentai, like actors specifically. So I'm being honest, I'm just indifferent on it.

[00:18:10] But I'm happy for the people that will get those opportunities to meet those individuals, if that makes sense. Yeah. Yeah, I'm interested to see how the programming shakes out. Yeah, Gokaiger was my introduction to the Super Sentai series. And then I just kind of went down a bit of a rabbit hole on it. I think, yeah, there's a lot of funness for Gokaiger. It was a lot of people's gateway show.

[00:18:35] I think that Sentai is supposedly like universal, last great Sentai that they all agree upon. At least that's my understanding. Until the very last one of like the greatest, the tournament one. People seem to like Gokaiger. I like Gokaiger. Yeah, that last one. I like that one too. I like Gokaiger, but I don't think it was a great Sentai, if that makes sense.

[00:19:03] The one that just happened? Which one? Yeah. Which one's that one? Oh, the tournament one. That's the tournament one. Gokaiger. Yeah, that's the... It was good, not great. My understanding from a lot of people was they liked it, but it was because from people who watched it, keep in mind I have not watched it. I've only seen stuff is they were allowed to be way more creative on certain things because they knew it was not going to go past that series.

[00:19:32] So like they were able to introduce the black and gold Megazord as a berserker mode, for example. Like that type of stuff. Right. And if I may shill for a moment, I'm involved with an event in Baltimore on August 8th at the Lord Baltimore Hotel. Come to Ranger Boom Baltimore. It's an upstart event, Black Run. Obviously I'm not running it. But I'm advising it.

[00:20:00] That means I have no specific role and nothing's my fault if it goes wrong. But it will be a lot of fun. We're going to have a lot of great guests. Justin Nimmo, Kevin Duhaney, Jeff Parazzo, the local screenwriter by the name of Jamie Nash, the influencer, the powers of the influencer, Beauty Baba Yaga. Andrew Gray will be there. Amy Roley will be there. And it's a beautiful venue.

[00:20:28] I ran MiryokuCon in the same venue last year. It's just going to be a ball. There's a convention room rate. You can stay in the hotel, spend the night, explore the city, please. And tickets are very, very affordable. You can find more details on that at rangerboom.com. Yeah, that's pretty solid. I mean, getting first year convention. Yeah.

[00:20:57] Yeah, getting the actress for Tritina and, in my opinion, getting out Justin is a good solid first year get. I think we also got the, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, he Nguyen, who, uh, was the stunt double for the Green Ranger and White Ranger on the show and also was a suit actor for, um, for Tommy in the movie as well.

[00:21:27] Yeah. Yeah. For, uh, for a small little group, uh, like grassroots effort startup, it's pretty solid. I mean, most only get like one guest. Yeah. I'm, I'm really, you know, pleasantly surprised to see, uh, how big the roster is and I've been opening up my Rolodex and hopefully the event turns out great.

[00:21:48] And, uh, it'll be my dose of, you know, Ranger convention, uh, if I can't make it to PMC and have really announced anything on ranger stop, um, Orlando yet, which is weird. It's may. And that's going to be, it would be traditionally like October, whatever. Baltimore isn't terribly far from me. There's a non zero chance that might be able to go to that. Yeah. Yeah. Let me know. Let me know.

[00:22:17] Um, other big news that actually, this is really recent that came out. Super high productions, one, a, uh, a lawsuit trifecta in may, on May 21st, they won a, uh, suit in Tokyo district court after previous favorable rulings in Thailand and California. They announced on May 21st, they announced on May 21st, that the Tokyo district court handed down a judgment fully upholding their claims in a file.

[00:22:45] They, in a lawsuit they filed against UM corporation seeking confirmation of, uh, the fact that you, um, corporation does not have the overseas rights, the early Ultraman series. So to back up, um, in the seventies, Tsuburaya productions are really hard up with, uh, for cash.

[00:23:09] And Eiji Tsuburaya directed his son, to go to this Thai businessman who they dealt with before by the name of, uh, Sampote Songduanchai, uh, who since passed, he claimed to have entered in. And you know what, let me, let me actually, this is confusing. I need to back up here. So in the seventies, to give you guys some history, um, Tsuburaya productions are really hard up for cash.

[00:23:38] And Eiji Tsuburaya directed his son, Noboru to go make a deal with Sampote Songduanchai, a Thai businessman, uh, who they'd worked with before. And they produced a few films together. And then in the nineties, when Noboru Tsuburaya died, uh, after Noboru Tsuburaya died, I should say, uh, Sanguen Chai pulled this sketchy document out his ass.

[00:24:07] And there were a lot of things sketchy about it, including the fact that it used names under which Tsuburaya had never done business. And they used that to claim that, uh, Sanguen Chai's company had the rights to early ultra series and all this other stuff from way back.

[00:24:31] Uh, and eventually after this went back and forth in court for a number of years, and in that time, Sanguen Chai exploited those rights and put out like basically glorified bootlegs in the U.S. Like that Ultraman set that came out in like, oh eight or something like from BCI Eclipse. But eventually in 2008, the Supreme Court of Thailand and 2018 U.S. Federal Court, uh, ruled that the document was indeed a forgery.

[00:24:58] Uh, it didn't help Sanguen Chai's case that he only produced this document after Noboru Tsuburaya's death. So, uh, they, UMC, uh, Tsuburaya put a notice in, so in 2014 Tsuburaya Productions put out a notice to UMC, issuing a notice of termination to UMC and other relevant parties trying to terminate the contract.

[00:25:25] And they've been basically fighting to be able to enforce that for the last decade plus. And the Tokyo District Court confirmed that that notice that they issued in 2014 is valid. And the contract under the 1976 document, if any contract ever existed, is terminated. And the court confirmed, according to Tsuburaya Productions, UMC does not have any rights to exploit the classic Ultraman series works outside of Japan.

[00:25:55] So this, they've already been doing a lot with the Ultraman rights worldwide Tsuburaya has. And this basically supercharges those efforts and takes off any remaining legal hurdles in doing so. Did that all make sense? Uh, uh, Cliff Notes. Uh, please. Uh, explain it to me like I'm five, please. My eyes kind of glazed over, but I tried to keep up.

[00:26:26] Okay. Tsuburaya made Ultraman. Okay. And all these other Ultraman series back in the day. They made a few movies with this guy from Thailand. Right. Uh, then after both AJ Tsuburaya and Noboru Tsuburaya were dead, uh, he basically took out a crayon and drew up a fake contract saying that he owned all this stuff. Okay.

[00:26:54] And the courts believed him for a little while. Really? Yes. Okay. Now that all makes a lot more sense. Yes, exactly. So he basically hijacked Ultraman. I mean. Wow. Okay. Yeah. And in other international Toksatsu news, Kamen Rider is making a big push.

[00:27:22] Uh, Toy announced in April, uh, that they have a multi-pronged expansion plan for Kamen Rider's 50th anniversary, including new streaming initiatives, original content, and a broader push. In international markets. This is from Toy Book. Not, not Toy Book. The Toy Book. Uh, T-O-Y Book. Ah. At the center of their strategy is digital distribution over on, uh, their YouTube channel, Toy Toksatsu World Official. You can, uh, watch, uh, Legacy Kamen Rider series.

[00:27:52] Uh, they're also planning Kamen Rider Myth, uh, as the next series that'll be releasing near simultaneously alongside its release in Japan. Uh, they're also, uh, rolling out three new labels for films. The Kamen Rider Chronicle, the Kamen Rider Animated, the Kamen Rider Premium. Each targeting different audiences and formats from legacy, different storytelling to large-scale global productions. And I think that's really cool and I'm glad they're doing it. I am too.

[00:28:23] Me three. And, uh, John C. Rebell from Media Blaster said in a video that they are working on getting materials for their release of the Garo series Taiga. Uh, I'm not sure whether or not they will be re-releasing the, uh, series previously put out under, uh, Switchblade Pictures, which is, uh, part of, or a sister company of Sentai Filmworks.

[00:28:52] That's all very complicated and above my pay grade. Uh, also at the end of February, Hiroshi Miyochi reflected on Kaiketsu Zubat, the, if you ask me, iconic 1970s Tokusatsu series where he played a guitar strumming detective. Uh, the, uh, event was for the occasion of the series Blu-ray release.

[00:29:20] Uh, this show broadcast back in 1977 and, uh, Toy put it out based on a fan vote of various old-school shows. Uh, he starred as Hayakawa, who witnesses his best friend being murdered by a criminal organization. Uh, according to a report from the Yomi Yori Shimbun, he appeared on the day of the event wearing an outfit almost identical to Hayakawa's, a black suit, red shirt, and 10-gallon hat.

[00:29:50] He was even singing the theme song, which is a banger. Uh, the moderator, who wrote this story in the first person, asked Miyochi about the action scenes. Uh, you know, like leaping from a second-story window or standing in a tree. The moderator asked, doing these things must have been incredibly tough. And Miyochi replied, that's just how the actor Hiroshi Miyochi is, you know, performing stunts that others wouldn't do.

[00:30:19] In fact, my real favorite is explosions, because they're flashy. Amen, brother. I can't argue with that logic. Uh, but you really need to look this up. There are ways. Yar! But it's a, it's a hell of a thing. And, oh man, we are just bumming people out today. They, the, uh, they style themselves a Japanese action comic punk band. The band P. Linder Zee.

[00:30:48] They're based in, uh, in Austin, Texas. They've been touring basically constantly since 1998. They were on their way to a gig in, uh, Albuquerque. When their cargo van was rear-ended by a semi. And it was ugly. Very ugly. They were all critically injured.

[00:31:14] Especially P. Linder Yellow, the longtime leader and instigator of the band. And also his wife, who was peeling under pink. Uh, and they remain hospitalized in Albuquerque. And faced a long and uncertain recovery. City Moriarty fire officials say they found a semi in the band's cargo van. Had crossed over from westbound traffic to eastbound traffic under State 40. All three of them needed to be extricated. And were taken to that area hospital.

[00:31:43] The driver of the truck, the semi, was treated at the scene. And declined transport. They were set to play at Inside Out, a venue in downtown Albuquerque on May 18th. When the crash happened. Less than an hour away from the city. Yellow was unresponsive and even on a ventilator. But he's now alert and able to communicate. Although he will need extensive rehabilitation.

[00:32:08] And further surgeries for injuries to his arm, spine, ribs. Though it should be stressed that he has feeling, etc. In all his extremities. But it's, uh, he'll be in a cervical collar for several months. Um. So their spring tour, which had actually just started. Uh, like a couple days prior. Has been canceled.

[00:32:38] They're just lucky they're alive. Uh, according to their agent. And, uh, they face a, a long recovery. GoFundMe has raised nearly $180,000. I've given $100 myself. Uh, I'm going to include the link to the fundraiser in their, in our show notes. And, uh, I just want to, you know, I've seen them more times than I can count.

[00:33:07] And it's been hardening to see the outpouring. Not just from people who do know them. But, you know, can just, bands who can relate to that life on the road. And the risks that come with it. So, with that, we're going to take a break. And when we come back, we're going to talk about something more fun.

[00:33:34] Which is what we want out of the production of Power Rangers that's now happening in, uh, Vancouver. Uh, and, uh, yeah. We'll be right back. So you want to hear people talk about Japanese cartoons. You know, anime. But you think the other anime podcasters just aren't nerdy enough? Sounds like you need to join forces with the Anime World Order. Where each week, three self-proclaimed experts offer you reviews.

[00:34:02] Of titles both new and classic, news and commentary. Rants, convention reports, interviews with fandom. And some hentai and yaoi for good measure. So search for Anime in the iTunes Music Store. Or visit our website at AnimeWorldOrder.com. Anime World Order. Revealing the truth about anime, one podcast at a time. And we're back. And, uh, as you may have heard, the upcoming Disney Plus series of Power Rangers,

[00:34:29] which is being produced by 20th Television for Disney Plus, is, uh, being held by Dan Schatz and Jonathan E. Steinberg. And they are shooting in the same city where Percy Jackson shoots, uh, Vancouver, Canada. It's also the same series, incidentally, where the 2017 movie shoots. And Toy has said they don't have anything to do with it.

[00:34:55] So, that implicitly means they'll be free of, um, the constraints that come with needing to serve the footage. And maybe more free to do things that they wouldn't have been able to do on broadcast, on Nickelodeon, etc. So, knowing that, what do you guys want out of this new generation of Power Rangers?

[00:35:23] Keep in mind, we know absolutely nothing. Not even cast. Well, I don't want them to... I mean, I'm going to start off with a... I don't want something. But I don't want them to rehash what's already been done. I don't want to rehash of Mighty Morphin. Don't want to rehash of, um... Time Force, In Space. I want no rehashes. Give me something new. I don't think a rehash is the right way to look at whatever they might do,

[00:35:52] because they're essentially starting from a blank page. And if they, like... I really don't think there's anything wrong. In fact, I think there's plenty of things right. And this is something the 2017 movie didn't do. There's plenty of things right with evoking those archetypes and that aesthetic, but updating it for now. I do want to rehash.

[00:36:20] I want every detail from the previous series to be just updated in wonderful HD. So my vote cancels your vote. No, no. I actually don't. Because... But that is a complete joke. Think of Power Rangers Dino Thunder, which was working from an entirely different set type, but took the opportunity to not just... Like, compare... Actually, compare Dino Thunder to, like, the Neo Saban series.

[00:36:50] You know, Dino Thunder saw what worked about Mighty Morphin and updated it to bring it into a 2004 world. And there's no reason that a new show, especially one that doesn't need to adhere to any particular Sentai,

[00:37:13] can't use the same formula and update it so that it's more relatable. I think the problem that the Neo Saban shows had, some way more than others, was that they didn't take into account the way that children's television had changed, the way that tastes had changed, the way that...

[00:37:42] The way we consume these shows has changed. They just shoehorned, like, bulk and skull analogs, including sometimes literally bulk, into these shows where they weren't... They didn't have the heart and they didn't really affect the plot or they were just sideshows. It was like trying to... Like, trying to fit a bunch of pieces

[00:38:11] for a different puzzle into your puzzle. So, based on your question, my... I've thought about this for a little bit. Because without really knowing what direction they're going to go in, the answer is difficult. Because I could give something and then they actually show the outline. It is what it is. So, I'm going to give you what...

[00:38:41] That's good. My guesstimate is what I want. And bear with me. I want a rehash of the 90s. Now, I know before the mob gets the pitchforks and the torches out, hear me out. I kind of want them to mirror what a similar series just did from the 90s. I would like for them to still... In this reboot, whether it's a soft reboot, whether it's a hard reboot,

[00:39:11] however it is, I want them to mirror kind of what X-Men 97 did. where it starts off with everything what you know that's familiar and then have that it all changes from here going forward moment. I think at this point, X-Men 97 has been out for two years. So, basically, the format they use is about... Have both of y'all seen X-Men 97 first or don't care for spoilers?

[00:39:40] I've seen like half an episode. Okay. If you don't care for spoilers, I'm going to spoil it. Go for it. The way they went into X-Men 97 was they did not want to reboot this. They wanted it to be a true... An Inuit, yeah. ...next season five. So, what they did in the first couple episodes was basically use the old format that you would know watching the old X-Men from 1992.

[00:40:08] But when episode five hits, when Genosha... We get the attack on Genosha from the Sentinels and major characters die. From there, the tone shifts and it changes to... It becomes its own thing. Now, I'm not talking about how people die in Power Rangers. That's not what I'm talking about. We've seen that with Once and Always. That's not what I'm meaning. You mean like Trini died? Correct. What I really want to see

[00:40:37] is there is lore established in the Power Rangers universe. I don't want them rebooting something just to reboot something, just to get something on the screen to retain the rights. I want it to be a continuation. Now, what that looks like, it could be 20 years. It could be... I think they're clear that it's a blank slate. And I think if you're bringing in people as talented as Dan Schatz and Jonathan East Steinberg, you don't want to have them go with one hand behind their back.

[00:41:07] You want them to be able to rewrite the rules. And not simply for their own sake, but to give kids today something new. Because kids today who are watching the show when it comes out in 2027, 2020, whatever, they do not care what happened in 1993. That's why Once and Always was for the sickos, not the kids. I would disagree with that. Because that's the entire

[00:41:36] sole reason X-Men 97 is Marvel's and Disney's single most successful project is because it didn't try to be something brand new. The same thing with Power Rangers comics as of recently. It didn't try to be something new. Now, that being said, I want to make it clear. I'm not saying let's bring the old cast together. That's been there, done that. That's not happening. There are rumors, I think,

[00:42:06] some foreign language Twitter feed that Brandon J. McLaren, who's tight with the producers, would come on, play some different role. And maybe there's a possibility of that. That happens in Japan all the time. Right. Where I'm going at with it is basically, if I had to check some stuff off, I want it to be similar, but its own thing. And I know that sounds very broad again, bear with me. I want it to replicate

[00:42:36] kind of the early 90s where it does feel like this could exist in a universe. As Power Rangers progressed through, like, later on, it became more isolated incidents, it became more almost jokes at times versus a more natural occurring season, such as Power Rangers Zero or Lightspeed Rescue, where something, it made sense for these sets of powers to exist in a,

[00:43:05] whether it's a vacuum or not. I'd want something like that. I would want them to return to the old, give me a story that I care about, but also characters with character arcs. As they got away from that in the Neo Saban era, and to me, that's what genuinely hurt the series because a lot of those characters, outside of maybe one or two, you just don't care about them. There's no

[00:43:35] genuine investment in those characters. I want to see a, hey, Billy changing his, learning not just to be a Power Ranger, but learning, like, breaking the stereotypical nerd shell. I want to see Andros learning replication of Andros. You don't have to be the loner Power Ranger. You can lean on your friends. You can lean on a team. I want to see character-driven stories. At the same time, I also... I think it was tough to do those back in the day because,

[00:44:05] you know, you didn't know what the next episode's footage was going to give you. Not necessarily because they filmed those in blocks and they knew kind of what... No, no, no. you didn't know what the next step, the next batch of Sentai footage was going to give you. So you can come up with, you can try to plant the seeds for an arc and then stuff happens. Right. Whether from the Sentai or from other things. But, in the general respect, if they're doing their own thing,

[00:44:35] that doesn't matter. Right. I also think that the big takeaway for me as well with it, so character arc, give me a story, an actual story. It doesn't have to be complicated. Just give me a story. Give me characters that I care about and give me villains that are actually threatening with an actual true, like, motivation. Rita, as... Define threatening. Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. So,

[00:45:05] Rita, people remember Rita as similar as people remember the Green Goblin from Spider-Man. She's goofy, but she's absolutely memorable. Lord Zedd, he was memorable. Like, there was a genuine chance the Rangers could lose to Lord Zedd. There was a genuine chance the Rangers could lose to Astronema. There was no chance, really, the Rangers were going to lose to Lothor. Mesogog's master plan to make everything out of course was really stupid. Lothor had him beat.

[00:45:36] He had them beat, but one episode does not change an entire season for that. Lothor, nine times out of ten, was a joke throughout the series and was made to look like a chump in Dino Thunder. I'm using that as an example. Because he wasn't, it wasn't his show. You can still make a villain look good without throwing him under the bus like a deer. Right. Lothor was thrown under the bus. I use him as the example because that was the first tonal shift

[00:46:06] of like a Power Rangers series. Sledge is another example. Now, Sledge, Sledge is, he had the comedy and the crew. Sledge was Team Rocket. Huh? Sledge was Team Rocket. Correct. Like, you know, half the time he just, he blasted off again. But, Sledge also wasn't afraid to take matters into his own hands which made it more you made it believable like, all right, he was willing to go and get

[00:46:35] dirty type of deal. Basically what I'm saying, and I'm almost, surprisingly, even though I like the character, I'm almost replicating what Douglas Sloan says. You have to give me a reason to think that this villain can beat the Rangers. Diva Talks until the second half of the season was not a believable character that could beat the Rangers. Lothor was not a character until that final episode was beatable to the Rangers. What's-their-faces? The villains from Megaforce. Absolute jokes.

[00:47:05] We never thought at one point outside of Vrax that Vrax, I think that's the one I'm thinking of. He was the one from Megaforce. Was even remotely threatening. And Vrax, thank you. And then same thing with the Cosmic Fury. They didn't believe the villains were good enough, so they brought Lord Zed in. And Lord Zed had a presence. I think Zed was part of a larger plan because they were

[00:47:35] wish-casting for Cosmic Fury. Well, remember, Zed in interviews was shoved in there and the show writers went, oh, I guess we're doing this. They didn't even know Zed was part of that. But basically, if I had to break it down, give me a story I care about, give me characters that I want to root for. I guess that's a better way to say it. Give me a villain who has aura and actually is threatening.

[00:48:05] Ditch the comedy like with Bulk and Skull unless you make me care about them. And finally, whether people want to admit it or not, give me the Mighty Morphin suits because that's the thing that's going to get people to watch. Whether they like it or not, that is what's going to happen. I don't think you need the Mighty Morphin suits. I don't think you need these suits, but you can evoke them and do a better job of that than the movie. And I think I would push back a little bit more. I don't think

[00:48:35] you need the villain to, in fact, it can actually cheapen those situations where the main antagonist does go down and confront the Rangers. when you think about it, how many times did Rancic face a Ranger directly? Maybe four or five times. But he only really got into it with

[00:49:04] them in the finale. No, he established his threat when he air quote killed off Alex in the first episode. He didn't need him for the rest of that because you showed he could kill a Ranger. But you didn't see him get up off his butt every day because that kind of cheapens the impact of seeing him do it. Mesogog barely ever fought because that was not his thing until

[00:49:33] he split from Mercer and went mental. Right. Well, keep in mind with Rancic, he didn't fight because it was established early on, if you recall, the Venomarch. He can't do these prolonged fights. Well, yeah, yeah. I'll put it this way. When Rancic was on screen, he's like Godzilla. He made his presence known and that's all you need. It's how you use that

[00:50:04] film it footage. Same thing with, yeah, same thing with like, here's a great example of that. Rancic, I think we all can agree, what is a worthy villain definitely was taken seriously of he could team wipe the Rangers versus the Machine Empire where we got a lot of talk off screen, but then when it came to the on screen, they kind of were just very stagnant throughout the season and

[00:50:33] they kind of, there was never a point where I ever felt like Mondo had an actual leg up. Gasket, that's another story. I think Gasket was a better written villain, but Mondo, he went up against the Zords and got his butt kicked. Lord Zed blew him up. Yeah, I would bring up as a point of comparison the recent Daredevil series. If every episode was, you know, Wilson Fisk going down a hall busting heads, that would get boring. Correct. You gotta earn that stuff.

[00:51:03] Or you have to establish very early on that this villain is a threat. Lord Zed destroyed the Zords. He had Serpentera and finished off the Green Ranger. And Fisk smashed the Russian's head in the door, but he doesn't do that every day because then it wouldn't be as shocking. Correct. And Lord Zed did that because they wanted opposite Rita. But you get my just same thing with Rita. Rita was established in those first like 20 whatever

[00:51:32] episodes. She was a threat because she kept escalating everything. She didn't, was never stagnant. until after Doomsday where now I'm just going to send a random monster of the week. And then she becomes old school Rita in season three. The point I'm getting at is you have to have a villain who you actually think is going, whose motivations make sense and can defeat the Rangers at that point. Or at least is a yes, this is the reason why we need to use these powers. Rita, obviously,

[00:52:03] yes. Astronoma, yes. What's their name? Zandrid with Samurai. Absolutely. Some of them though, like Lothor, the ninja steel, they are what they are, but don't bring that type of villain to it because it will die. I would actually consider it the flip side of Zordon's rules. You know, the same way the Rangers don't come out swinging with a battleizer right away. It doesn't make

[00:52:31] sense for the big bad of a season to step in until somebody's really screwed up or until they were really feeling their oats. Right. Establish the status quo is basically where I'm going with it. Can I add one more thing while I think about it? Yeah, I've been talking a lot. Go right ahead. Can we get a villain that's not evil for the sake of evil? Well, I mean,

[00:53:00] we've had a number of those over the years when you think about it. I don't need a traffic backstory. I don't need any of that. Just give me a reason other than gravelly voiced evil man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I get what you're saying. I get what you're saying. We've had a few of those. It's like, you know, like we've definitely had a few of those, but not like, I mean, Lord Zed, you know, card carry you a villain, but you look at Tarek,

[00:53:30] you know, Void Knight. He had me. He was possessed, but he had his reason. He wanted to revive his wife. Give me a master org. I'm not seeing evil for the sake of doing something good. The guy's still evil, but yeah, not just because he's evil. I want him evil because maybe not take over the world, but once God like power or something of that nature, like something. Give me master or give me or something

[00:53:59] that's like Bansheera or as Andrew, give me something again. That's they have aspirations that are beyond. I want to turn the earth back to dinosaurs. That's not a that was I use that one as reference because it's it's a dumb motivation. There could be a lot better. No, it's not. No, it's not. Huh? I don't think it is.

[00:54:28] Gog is a great villain. His motivation doesn't change that. It was stupid. It was it was a weakness in the writing. I don't think it was. There's no different moment, but in reverse, I did not care for the Godfather. I mean, I I was a teenager when let's see 2004. Yeah, I was a teenager. And even I'm like, Mezogut, really, dude? Really, bro? Like, I didn't

[00:54:58] like the motivation, but he was a threatening villain. Yeah, that's what I mean is like, give me a better motivation than what his was at the end of the day because it didn't it was kind of silly because it didn't go anywhere until the end. Like, it was what it was, but I feel like I'm circling the wagon wheels though. I mean, if you want to if you wanted to see him put that in action, I refer you to the Bob Hoskins Super

[00:55:28] Mario Brothers movie. The 80s one? 90s. The one with the bomb in it? And the devolution gun and all that? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Only all the humans, only you know, would have turned a human to a monkey? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, like, we don't, again, we really don't know anything about Kato and there's some click based site

[00:55:58] that claimed that the core team would just be three Rangers, but that's comicbook.com and they post all sorts of they actually have a Facebook page dedicated to posting nothing about absolute nonsense about Power Rangers. And yeah, I don't know why anybody called out. Yeah, but you got people taking this stuff seriously and it's absolute nonsense. It's, it's, that's bad

[00:56:28] for the brand and it's, all they're doing is clickbait stuff. Like, the one several months back, the Green Ranger got arrested. Yes, we know. It wasn't Jason David Frank. This was like 10 years ago as my guys. Like, it's, yeah, yeah. but, where I'm getting out, like I said, with the series stuff is, give me, because the question is, who is this

[00:56:57] being made for as well? I think that is the X-Men 97 knew exactly, and I use that one because of the successful model for it. Who is this going to be made for? If you're making it for little kids, I think it's already dead in the water at that point. It's essentially starting from scratch as brand, and you can't, especially since some of this stuff is not

[00:57:27] available to Z-Plus. A lot of stuff, in fact, none of it is available to Z-Plus. I think they've got to start from scratch, and they got to start with something at the same time familiar. Z-Plus. And that doesn't really, yeah, that doesn't, you know, they have to evoke the past without parodying it and make a show for now, not 1995. Correct. They need

[00:57:56] to update with the times, and I also will say I don't want them to rehash the comics. That's been done, let's do something new. Now, if they want to reference the comics, if they want to have a two-parter with Shattered Grid, because that is part of the lore now, sure, I'm all for it. I mean, I think, I don't think you hire the people you hire for this that they did without expecting to just rehash the comics and not do something new. So we're getting something,

[00:58:26] you know, home-baked. Right. So I don't think that's a worry. Yeah. But just to me, they have to follow the basic formula. Greg, what you got to say. Yeah, go ahead. Oh, not much really. I mean, I agree with a lot of your points. I think I'm on the fence whether I want a fresh start or a soft reboot. Like, I kind of,

[00:58:58] I don't know what they're even planning, so I don't want to make, I need something to spark more ideas other than what I already said. that's the issue I have is like, if they're, if they're doing a full reboot, let's say they are just starting from the very beginning, you got to have more powers involved. Like, you can't just have the Mighty Morphin one, bring in the samurai powers, maybe some wild force, little inkling stuff. You got to have that type of stuff to make it feel like an actual world.

[00:59:28] If it's a continuation, like, oh, this happens 15 years later, and the Rangers are defeated because they've gotten older. We need a new bunch of teenagers with attitude who want to, who are out to prove something. There you go. There's your premise problem solved type of deal. It doesn't matter who the villain is. It doesn't matter at that point. What, what else is you've already have the groundwork for it. I'd say it has to be kind of somewhere between like a 10 to like 16 year old, because there was something

[00:59:57] I read not just a couple days ago that said, why is anime so popular in the United States? It's because we don't have shows that are dedicated to more tweens and teens. It's very, either very young or adults. This show would like feel that like content that is, yes, thank you, that content that is lacking. And I think there's a possibility for it. It doesn't have to take itself seriously, but as long as they stick to, again, a likable cast, a threatening

[01:00:27] villain, monster of the day with not make my monster grow, but give me my zords. There you go. There's your episodes. And then the question is, how much did they get approved for? If it's 10 episodes, you're getting probably just one scenario. If you've got 20 or 25, that gives you some wiggle room for character development. I really doubt that we're getting more than 10-ish. Oh, I believe you there. But you never know. You never know for it. The problem with those 10 episodes series, they always feel so

[01:00:57] rushed. Rushed, yeah. We've got so much we've got to say and so we've got to get through. That's what I think partially made Cosmic Fury just meh. To be fair, I agree. The one thing though, it's because it's like Spider-Man No Way Home. It is very dependent on the prior seasons to make it feel worthwhile. Without it,

[01:01:27] it feels very bland. If that makes sense. I think I know what you're getting at. It doesn't mean as much like in Spider-Man No Way Home when Tobey Mugger shows up. If you haven't seen the others and have been in the... Basically, if you haven't taken the ride, it doesn't. The impact is not there. I saw that in Tony Maguire came back and I went and I had

[01:01:56] a holy crap moment. He actually did it. Or Captain America picking up Thor's hammer in Endgame. If you haven't been there for the full ride, you don't appreciate the moment. That's kind of what I mean. Yeah. Ten episodes though, like, you're only getting like one scenario. You're getting like one long story arc from it, and it's got to mean something so it gets like buy-in because I

[01:02:26] think what in RJ's interview a couple, what, months back about like why the movie failed, it's embalmed because there was no investment. Well, you strayed too far away from the Power Ranger. Stuff that made Power Rangers Power Rangers. It was a good movie, but a bad movie for Power Rangers. And it ultimately killed the brand. Yep. I wouldn't go that far. Well, I mean, you can do all straight line from

[01:02:55] that movie to Saban selling for way too much money and then Hasbro getting over their skis. He's not wrong because there is a direct line from 2017 bombing to Sentai ending. Like there is actually like. No, there isn't. Yes, there is. Yeah, there is. I don't know. the movie bomb. No, no, no. Sentai ended because purely domestic factors.

[01:03:24] No, it didn't. There's interviews that outright say the sale to Hasbro killed Sentai. That's not what I read. Yeah, that's in that exact interview that was in our notes and stuff before was why did Sentai end? Well, when they sold to Hasbro, we lost the money to make the merchandise. We weren't getting the residuals for it, so that killed it. No, no, no. What I understood was that they were essentially in competition not just with previous Sentai series but with things like Marvel, yada, yada, yada,

[01:03:55] and hadn't involved with the times. It could be a combination of the two. I mean, there's a, I'll have to find it then again, but there was like a direct basically direct quote that said they weren't getting the kickback that they had under Bandai versus Hasbro, so that literally they were going into debt every single time. They had to stop for it regardless. Yeah, that's a tangent. But anyway, I think, you know, hopefully, you know,

[01:04:24] I assume production's going and I assume we'll hear something soon. Maybe, you know, there will be another trailer that leaks right before it's supposed to run at Power Morphicon again. Can I give a spicy take? Can I give one spicy take? Is it habanero spice or is it ghost pepper spice? I think it's like more like mild salsa because I don't think I'm the only one thinking it, but all I ask regardless of the direction it goes, I'm convinced they're going to use the Mighty Morphin suits

[01:04:54] because soft reboot, but I don't think they're going to use them because whatever. But if they do all I ask, please do not use the suits that they have in this new comic series coming out. They are ugly and nobody likes them. Again, I really don't think you have to worry about them doing anything from the comics. You get what I'm saying. Like, make it better designed. Like, oh, the comics look bad. I can see

[01:05:24] them using, you know, kind of the silhouette, so to speak, of the suits, but they're not going to use that straight spandex because this isn't Japan. No, no, no. Do you know what I mean is the comic that's coming out here like in July? Yes. Yeah, I know what you're talking about. Yeah. Yeah. But I don't think you need to worry about that. Yeah, go more Toku-Jay, less comic on that one. Actually, go less Toku-Jay.

[01:05:55] I think that's what's popular, though. I think that's what people would want. I think, I think, and maybe this is a good thing to put a bow on, what fans think they want is never what they need. And you see all sorts of major franchises, major companies screw that up. And I think, you know, Power Rangers

[01:06:25] is not immune from that. And I think that, you know, there's a time and a place for fan service, but this isn't that. Yes, but you also can't stray too far away from it. I think I'm in a middle ground of it, of I agree with you, but look at Marvel. People wanted what the suits are, and that's what works on screen. People didn't want the X-Men ones from the 2000s. Now they're nostalgic, it is what it is.

[01:06:55] Well, you know, also look at Marvel. There were people who didn't think that Charlie Cox would be a good daredevil. Or Ben Affleck as Batman. I mean, fans don't know Diddly. People thought that Heath Ledger wouldn't be a good Joker. So, you know, reserve judgment until we actually see them in action. That's right. I'm not, I'm not saying that. I'm saying, I think there's an equal,

[01:07:24] you can find fans, right on a lot of things and fans that are, you can, in my opinion, be closer to what Marvel and DC have done. Don't do what the 27 movie did because then you're getting too abstract. You have to give something to people to connect to, if that makes sense. All right. Well, with that said, anybody else have anything to plug before we call tonight? tonight? I don't have much. No,

[01:07:53] I don't have much either. Okay. Well, like I said, look up Ranger Boom Baltimore on August 8th in, well, Baltimore, as well as MariokuCon 2026, August 15th to 16th, also at the Lord Baltimore Hotel and Hotel Monaco. I won't be there. I will be at a Sonic Hedgehog convention, but it's going to be a lot of fun. So will the Sonic convention, but they're going to have a lot of great guests.

[01:08:22] Yaya Han's going to be there. No Power Rangers guests, but I'm really proud of these people and they're doing something great. Anyway, I'm Tyler, Josh and Greg, thanks for being a part of this and thanks for being so patient with me. Hey, real life happening, bro. Yeah. Good night, everybody. Nah. Night. If you like what you just heard, find us at

[01:08:52] rangercast.net or look us up in your favorite podcast app and be sure to leave a review. That's the best way to help more people discover the show. You can also find us on X, Facebook, and now Blue Sky. Our opening theme is by Daniel Park. The ending theme is by me. Ranger Cast is distributed under Creative Commons license. Attribute and share alike. Thank you. you